


At The Peak of a Great Mountain

by HalezDragon



Category: Gorillaz
Genre: Backstory, Canon Related, Child Abandonment, Gen, Inspired by Music, Long Lost/Secret Relatives, Musicians, Past Child Abuse, Phase One (Gorillaz), Pre-Gorillaz, Satan - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-04
Updated: 2018-02-04
Packaged: 2019-03-13 10:15:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,707
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13568469
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HalezDragon/pseuds/HalezDragon
Summary: Twitch is an outcasted punk that has never found her place among this shitshow of a world. When her dark lord, Satan, realizes a dark secret about her, he tosses her into the wild lives of the up and coming sensation known as Gorillaz. When she finds out that Murdoc is actually her father, who abandoned her as an infant, she is determined to either forgive and forget or continue her miserable life solitarily.Either way, she's in for a quite a ride. Follow Twitch as she discovers who she is while going on some wild adventures with her new found family. Will she find her place?All canon settings and characters (Murdoc, Noodle, 2D, Russel, Del) (c) Damon and Jamie





	1. You've Got the Devil's Humor.

I walked alone down the desolate highway, which seemed to be never-ending as I stared ahead. My bleak eyes were heavy and I struggled to even stay on my feet, yet I couldn't bring myself to stop and rest. In a wasteful plea to keep myself on track, I pulled my hands out of the pockets of my dirty gray Black Sabbath hoodie, one of them harboring a bent cigarette and the other holding a stolen lighter. Swiftly, I united the two and took a long drag, shoving the lighter back into the left pocket. Being only fifteen I knew full well that it was illegal and if a pig were to pass by I'd be in deep shit. However, there were two reasons as to why I wasn't concerned about that in the least; one, there hadn't been a car, or any sign of life, for miles and two, I was no stranger to delinquency.

The piercing silence was beginning to get the better of my nerves, but I soon spotted an oddly placed diner in the distance. With a curious glare peeking from behind my pink hair I shook my head and started off towards it, not even bothering to question. Once I'd finally reached it, I was less-than-surprised to see that it was overly run-down but had a nice country quality on the inside. I peered through the window for a long while, admiring the artificial-looking waitresses and hicks that gathered at the bar. Then, with a heavy sigh, I pushed the door open.

At the jingle of the bell, everyone seemed to drop what they were doing just to gaze in my direction. What a sight they saw. The disgust was written all over their faces. Me with my ragged black converse, torn blue jeans, and hoodie. With my messy hot-pink hair layered with black coon-tails on the sides and bangs, and my horrific left eye - solid red. Somehow the wind must have blown my bangs to the side, revealing the mark of my abused childhood of which I hid 24/7.

The only people who seemed to be somewhat “approving” of me were the four bikers sitting at one of the booths. They smiled and nodded their heads at me and, oddly enough, I think it made my cheeks flush, so I quickly scampered over to the bar and slammed down onto the seat farthest away from everyone else. Continually, the others kept staring for a few moments more, then went on with their gossip, which I assumed was now centered on me. I looked down and pulled my hood up to shadow my face, as the eldest-looking waitress walked up to me.

“Can I get ya something?” she asked in a fake tone of interest.

“Coffee.” I squeaked, barely glaring up at her. She sort of paused a minute then asked,

“Got any money to pay for it, kid?”

That's when I froze. I slammed my head down on the table, remembering that I'd lost all my money the day before. I'd been walking down the street of a small town when suddenly a group of sixteen-year-old boys had cornered me. They'd bitched at me a while about my appearance, then they loitered for all the cash I had on hand, which in reality wasn't much; about twenty-five bucks. Regardless, a scuffle broke out and I took them all on pretty well. I managed to run them off, but I didn't realize at the time that one of them had spotted the wadded up cash as it fell out of my pocket while I was fighting the other two.

“Hey,” The fours bikers walked up behind me and one of them slammed down a twenty. “Give the kid whatever she wants.” Everyone was a tad stunned, especially myself. The biker smiled at me and placed his hand roughly on my shoulder, shaking it a bit and then leading the rest of his crew outside. A moment later the rev of the bikes echoed all around the diner and slowly faded away.

Once I'd gulped down the cheap-tasting coffee, along with a plate of eggs and bacon, I hopped off the chair and walked out of the cafe without another word to anyone. I felt them all glare once more as I left. Outside, I tried to contemplate what I was going to do next. I looked both directions. Nothing else to be seen for miles, just as before. A groan escaped my pointed teeth and I knew that the chances of me actually walking for God knows how many more hours were slim to none.

“I wonder--” A thought suddenly hit me. I'd sold my soul to the devil when I was about seven-years-old and the thought emerged that perhaps if I could possibly find a way to summon him, he could get me somewhere. It was a leap of faith; twisted faith, but nonetheless, I staggered across the road into the grain field that swayed gently in the breeze.

I took in a deep breath and suddenly felt like I was being watched. Not physically, but I felt it deep inside and it caused me to unknowingly jolt around just to make sure no one was there. No one was. Another growl emitted from my teeth in annoyance as I turned back around to the field and plopped myself down. I mumbled some words, a prayer of the damned, if you will, unsure if it would work. All of a sudden, the air became thick, so I closed my eyes tightly. My whole body shivered, but it felt like it was on fire. When I reopened my eyes I was no longer in the serenely quiet valley I'd been in merely seconds before. It was now dark like catacombs and reeked of burning flesh. A tall fire was all around and screams rushed through the air, followed by erotic laughter.

“Ah, Twitch,” an eerie voice cooed over my shoulder. Even though Satan and I had talked in the past, he still terrified me. In fact, the only reason I had turned to Him all those years ago was that I had been cheated and played my whole life, leading me to resent everything, even a God.

“Don't sneak up on me like that, B!” I spat. He laughed a demonic laugh of which has no comparison.

“Well, well, what brings you here? Weren't you just at a shitty diner in the asshole of nowhere?” he harked. It always frightened me knowing that he could, and did, watch me and knew nearly everything I did.

“Yeah, yeah. I came here because I was sick of walking. I was hoping you could help me out.” He slammed me on the back with his mighty hand and laughed, yet again. He always seemed to be harking with demonic laughter.

“You know who I am right? Lucifer! Have you ever known me to help out anyone?”

“Well-”

“Ah, you know I'm just fucking with you. After all, you are a loyally devout servant.” Suddenly my jagged teeth twisted into a smirk; a devilish smirk. Lucifer gave me an odd look of curiosity, as he seemed to be scanning my features. “Hmm,” he thought aloud.

“What the fuck are you staring at, mate?”

“Ah, feisty too. Yes, I can't believe I didn't see it before!"

“OI! What are you talking about?” I screamed at him. Once again, he laughed.

“Don't trouble yourself. Hey, I have a little surprise for you, but first -” He paused and held out his hand, allowing a pit of fire to emit and then vanish just as quickly. He held up a chain with an upside down cross dangling from it and offered it to me. I stared in awe and let him attach it around my throat, then watched him step back to admire it. “You look just like him.” He nodded in approval.

“Who!” I was getting annoyed at his little run-around.

“Come with me.” Instead of complying, I crossed my arms and refused to move. He just shook his head with supreme superiority and the next thing I know, I was falling through a large pit in the ground. The last thing I saw before the pit closed was Satan's smirking face.

Demons were screeching and blood was running all around me as I fell. The whole fall gave me an odd sense of a twisted version of Alice in Wonderland. When a shimmer of shadowy light finally came into view, I felt relieved and fearful at the same time. Suddenly, the demons cries faded, as I was thrust out of some kind of portal into a dirty concrete wall. I looked back and saw the spinning abyss, of which I'd just been spat out of, hovering above a lava pit. On the opposing wall, the words “Murdoc Is God” were spray-painted in black.

“Murdoc?” I questioned myself out loud. Looking around the dark room, I happened to see a set of stairs, but there was no light pouring in, yet I could hear faint voices from the top. All of sudden, a stream of light poured in for a split moment and a shrill cry erupted.

“Please, Mudsie! No!” The voice pleaded.

“Oh, suck it up, face-ache! And don't come back up 'ere until you found out what that damn noise was!” Another, more stern, voice replied and then violently slammed the door at the top closed and locked it.

Several bangs came from atop the stairs, as the voice pleaded for “Muds” to let him out. Finally, they stopped and everything went quiet again, all except for the sound of tiny whimpers. I paused awkwardly for a few minutes longer, then stood to my feet and rubbed the cheek that I'd violently slammed into earlier. Using the glow from the lava, I slowly crept over to the bottom of the stairs, trying to maintain a steady balance so I could get a secret glimpse of whoever was around the corner. Unfortunately, I'm not the most coordinated person in the world and it was really no surprise when I felt myself begin to tumble. Trying to grab hold of the concrete wall with my nails was done in vain, as I went tumbling to the floor, my face landing just at the last step. I squinted my eyes open and stood to my feet, rubbing my head. Suddenly, I heard a terrific gasp of terror and looked up to see someone cowering in fear at the top of the stairs. I could only make out a faint glimpse of him, but he looked positively horrifying, yet he was the one shivering with fear! He appeared to have no eyes, just empty sockets, and his hair looked azure.

“Oi!” I called out. Just then, he let out the most womanly screech I've ever laid ears on and literally kicked the door down in a panic, rushing out.

“Muds! Muds! There's a -- a -- a DEMON down there! It's trying to get me!” I heard him cry. I growled and stomped up the stairs, coming into the light and seeing the wuss that I'd just scared the living hell out of, along with another man. This man was maybe an inch or so shorter than the other one, though it was hard to tell the exact difference because the azure-haired boy was crouched down and hiding. The other man had dark, almost greenish, skin and mismatched eyes, with black hair that hung just above them and his crooked nose.

“Oi, blue-boy, I ain't no demon,” I confronted with a hiss, growling through my pointy teeth.

“Hm, well what do we have 'ere? An intruder?” The green-skinned man smirked. He looked familiar, but I was certain I'd never met him.

“No, I was spat out by the hellish hole over the lava pit down there.” I corrected.

“Ah, the old gateway to Hell. So, you were in the underworld, aye?” He scanned me over, with two long fingers stroking his chin. Suddenly he affixed his glance to the inverted cross around my neck. “Ah, I see now. Sold your soul to the old Mr. B, just like-” His smirk suddenly turned into a distraught pit of realization and his eyes grew wide.

“Oi, Muds, you know that girl kind of looks like you!” Blue-boy suddenly whimpered a thought. The green-skinned man swiftly elbowed backward and knocked the unfortunate young boy out, all without taking his wide eyes off me. It started to make me uncomfortable.

“That hair . . . those teeth . . . her skin . . . her . . . eyes!” He seemed to panic at the word 'eyes' and suddenly he pounced at me, his hand reaching for my face. I quickly thrust up my hands to block him.

“Hey! What the fuck are you doin’!” I continued to block him but he suddenly grabbed my right wrist and firmly held it, while he used his other hand to brush the hair out of my left eye. I tightly clenched them, but he took my chin between his clammy fingers and turned my head toward him, and for some odd reason I couldn't help but open them. He seemed to become even more shocked than before. “Let go of me!” I pushed him away bluntly and he fell on his ass, still staring at my face in a daze. “Well, if you're not going to be any help, I'll just be on my way.” I stomped past him, but was quickly held back. Not by a hand, but by the realization that I had no clue where it was exactly that hole had spat me out.

“What's the matter, love?” That damn smirk of his was beginning to annoy. “Nowhere to go, aye?” He laughed as if he'd suddenly thought of some joke in his head that no one else understood. I rolled my eyes and turned to him, about to give him an ear-full about how I didn't need his smart-ass observations when suddenly I heard the chime of an elevator.

“Yo, Muds? What's all this noise down here?” A beastly voice called from beyond the shadows, followed by a mouthful of shrill Japanese words.

I was carefully waiting for someone to come into view when suddenly two very opposite people did just that. One was a tall, ghastly black man with white eyes and a backward hat. He toppled heavily over the small, thin Japanese girl that stood next to him. She had black hair hidden underneath a large helmet and wore some type of Japanese-style clothing, which to me looked like an oversized jacket and shorts. Staring was all I could manage to do. Looking at them and then back to that 'Muds' fellow and blue-boy made me jump with a sudden epiphany.

“Wait a second, I know you guys! You're that band, Gorillaz, aren't you?” I hadn't recognized them, for I'd only heard a bit about them from the radios I'd sometimes pass whenever people had them out on the streets and I'd only seen a couple posters of their faces. That's probably why that fellow had looked so familiar.

“Right you are, love! I'm Murdoc Niccals, founder and bass slayer extraordinaire!” he proclaimed. “This face-ache behind me,” he said pointing his thumb back at blue-boy. I was actually a bit curious to learn his real name. “Is 2D. That over there is Russel and Noodle.” I looked to them and they both stared awkwardly, completely in the dark about the whole situation.

“Look, this is nice and all, but I think I'll be on my way.” I took a few steps forward, acting like I knew what I was doing and where I was going.

“Just where do you plan on going? I don't know if you know this, but we're in the middle of nowhere, sweet-cheeks. Well, more or less. We’re on a giant mountain, surrounded by a cemetery, surrounded by a landfill. There’s no easy way to get out of ‘ere, and I’m certainly not gonna do it for you. You're kind of stuck-”

“Hold up, if you're telling me I have to stay here, you're out of your mind. I'd rather take my chances out there.” I desperately did not want to 'take my chances out there', but I had the worst feeling in the pit of my stomach about staying in this place.


	2. Sweet Child of Mine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *As I read this in Twitch's voice, some parts, especially at the beginning, genuinely make me laugh out loud*

    “Look, what say we go up to the kitchen and have a nice cup a tea and talk this over, aye?” Murdoc proposed. I held that reluctant face I use to throw people off, but truthfully I saw no harm in it.  
  
    We all made our way up in the elevator and Murdoc led us through some 'interesting' rooms, making our way to the kitchen. The whole place smelt like cigarette smoke and rotting ass, not that I wasn't used to that. When we finally reached the kitchen I was shocked to realize that the place actually got worse.  
  
    “Well love, have a seat.” Murdoc dashed to the table and pulled out the chair for me.  
  
    “I have a name, you know,” I growled, taking the seat and pulling up close to the table. 2D took the seat across from me and that Russel guy took the seat next to him. That girl, Noodle, uttered some Japanese and then left the room. I longed to know what she was saying.  
  
    “Is that right?” Murdoc questioned, reaching up into a cabinet a pulling out a dusty bottle of liquor.  
  
    “I thought you said we were having tea. I'm not old enough to drink-”  
  
    “Ah, what could be the harm in a sip or two, aye?” He smirked and poured four shots, balancing them over to the table and sitting down next to me, passing one glass to each person. I was really uncomfortable. What were these guys trying to do to me? Get me drunk to have their way? Or worse? God only knew.  
  
    “So,” Murdoc began after guzzling down his first shot. “What was that name you were talkin’ about?” I paused a moment and felt my face become a bit flustered. I hate saying my name, whether or not it's the real one.  
  
    “It's Twitch,” I grumbled. They all stared idiotically.  
  
    “Twitch?” 2D repeated stupidly. I nodded, though I suppose I really shouldn't have felt so embarrassed. What kind of names were 2D and Noodle anyway?  
  
    “Got a last name?” Russel asked. His voice seemed to shake my very core like an earthquake.  
  
    “Well,” I thought. “I did, but I don't remember it. I never knew my dad.” Once again they all just stared, which made me even more uncomfortable, so I picked up my glass and tossed back the shot, pressing for another. Murdoc poured it for me and I laid one that back as well.  
  
    “Look,” I looked to Russel cautiously. For a giant of a man he actually spoke with a rather interesting tone of sophistication. “Muds was right. We are in the middle of nowhere. Now, you said you've heard of us right? We ain't no date-rapists, so why don't you crash here? Seems to me like you ain’t got no place to go.”  
  
    “Yeah! We got plenty of room!” 2D chimed in. To me, that boys’ brain seemed to be set on hyperdrive.  
  
    “Well . . . I guess it couldn't hurt-”  
  
    “Bravo!” Murdoc shouted, thrusting his arms into the air, in turn spilling half of his drink over me. My hair became sticky and frizzy and my bangs stuck to my eyes. I growled ferociously.  
  
    “Why you-” Without even thinking, I jumped up and punched that man square in the face, and as soon as he hit the floor I climbed over him and grabbed his collar.  
  
    Before I could get another shot in, Russel pulled me up with ease and stood me on my feet. I felt kind of bad as I looked down at Murdoc, but I knew that he was so hammered that he probably wouldn't even remember that in the morning. Noticing the half-empty bottle in his hand, I reached down and grabbed it, turning it up and taking a long swig. I violently turned around halfway and looked at the others, coming off a bit like a madman, if I do say so myself.  
  
    “There a place I can sleep?” I slurred. The room was starting to spin and I knew that I was shitfaced. I damned it all to hell.  
  
    No one responded to my question, but I couldn't even really remember what I'd actually asked. Dropping the bottle onto the floor, I tried to get out the question again by turning my whole body around to face them. I guess I moved a little too fast, for I began to wobble and soon fell over onto my face and blacked out.  
  
  
    Five hours or so had passed by the time I began to come back to consciousness. My head harbored a splitting headache from hell, but luckily all the lights were off wherever I was and that eased it a bit. I groaned and tried to sit up, coddling my head with my hand as I managed to peel my back from the satiny bed underneath me. It was rather cozy, actually.  
  
    “Here, take these,” a voice suddenly called from my side and it made me jump and nearly piss myself.   
  
    “What the fuck are you trying to do, give me a heart attack?” My scolding only shattered my aching head even more, so I quickly laid it back into my palms’ embrace.  
  
    “This is my room, you know,” he retorted. “Now, take these.” He pressed his hand towards me and in it, there were two red pills. I glared at him questionably, but took them nonetheless and swallowed them dry, hoping not to choke.  
  
    “What are you doing in here anyway? Just watching me sleep? You sure are one creepy old man-”  
  
    “Whoa, whoa,” he cut me off and then looked down to his shoes and sighed.  
  
    “Oi, what's the matter with you, Murdoc?” He gave no answer but instead seemed to be looking for one.  
  
    “Look, just rest. I got some things to take care of, I'll check on you later.” He stood up and walked to the other end of this shitty mobile home I was guessing we were in and I heard the door slam behind him.  
  
    “Things?” I questioned out loud.  
  
    Curiosity peaked over all my other senses, as I quickly threw the covers off and scampered to the door, looking out of the small window just in time to see Murdoc step through a door on the far end of this parking garage. I was very confused as to how and why we were in a parking garage, but it was one of the least odd occurrences that had happened so far, so I let it be. Without wasting a moment, I ran out of the vehicle and over to the door he'd gone through, pressing my ear to it and listening for his footsteps. Once they faded, I slowly creaked open the door and peered around to make sure he hadn't noticed me so far. He was nowhere in sight, so I proceeded to quickly tiptoe after him, stealth as my main objective. Peeking around the next corner, I saw his shadow shift around another corner and I quickly ran after it.  
  
    After what seemed like an eternity of following after him, I was finally led to a part of their huge fortress that I was familiar with. It was the same place where I'd first seen Murdoc; the space right outside the door that led down to the gateway to Hell. One eyebrow raised and as soon as I heard him hit the concrete at the bottom of the stairs, I hopped over to the doorway. The door itself was still lying on the ground from where 2D had busted it down trying to get away from me. It made me snicker a bit.  
  
    “You can't be serious about this!” I heard Murdoc shout as I approached the doorway. He seemed to be in a manic conversation with someone, but I couldn't see who. So, in order to get a better view, I crouched down and slithered down the stairs, step-by-step, until I was able to partially see beyond the shadows. To my surprise, he was talking to none-other than Beelzebub. I listened vigorously to their words.  
  
    “Look, Muds, I know you knew about this. I can't tell you how surprised I was on this last visit she paid me. She blossomed to look and act so much like you, it's undeniable. She is your daughter.” At those last words, I gasped so loudly I thought I'd given myself away. I covered my mouth and listened on.  
  
    “But why? Why would you bring her here! I can't be a father, I'm not fit!”  
  
    “Well, I suppose I could bring her back to Hell with me to be an apprentice, but I hope you realize that she'll probably want to torture you for all eternity for abandoning her.” I could see Bee's smirk and Murdoc's dissatisfied face.  
  
    “Fine,” he sighed. “I'll let her stay here – for now. But you have to get me out of this!”  
  
    “Murdoc Niccals, don't think for a second you can fool me. You're such an open book. You obviously want to be close to her, but you think you can't because you're so unfit and boo-hoo-hoo.” Beelzebub mocked him and Murdoc's cheeks seemed to burn, at least from what I could make out. "You may not want to be a parent, but you do want someone to carry on your legacy. I know there's a part of you that's dying to teach this kid all your weird and disgusting secrets that you think make you so genius."  
  
    “I'm going to bed.” Murdoc scowled and grunted low under his breath.  
  
    “Alright, Muds. Adios.” With that, he tasseled Murdoc's greasy hair and went spiraling back into the vortex.  
  
    My heart was pounding and I didn't know what to think or do. Just then, Murdoc stepped towards the stairs and I dashed back to the top, hiding behind a large pile of boxes in the room so that I wouldn't be discovered. I heard him mumble something to himself and continue on his way. Pressing my luck, I followed him once more.  
  
    This time, he led me up to the kitchen. His disgruntled act the whole way made me feel even more suspenseful about being caught. I mean, this guy was a loose cannon. Who the fuck knows what he'd do?  
  
    As he made his way out to the balcony, I watched from behind the tainted glass. He struck up a smoke and leaned himself onto the railing, his hair blowing in the wind. A sentimental sort of feeling rushed through me and I took a deep breath, stepping out with him.  
  
    “M-Murdoc?” My choking voice didn't even seem to faze him. I slouched and turned my back to him, preparing to walk back inside, but before I even had one foot in the door I stopped. He was my fucking father, whether I liked it or not. At this point, I definitely did NOT. There was so much I wanted to ask him, so much I had thought about doing in this exact moment if it ever came. “Oi, prick,” I hissed, clenching my fists and turning back to him.  
  
    This seemed to grasp his attention, as he shifted his head in my direction.   
  
    “Oh, hey. What’re you doin’ up?” he said casually. I was dumbfounded all of a sudden.  
  
    I walked up to him, my mouth ever so slightly hung open and my eyes wide and beginning to glaze with tears I was trying to fight off. Murdoc turned to me, looking at me confused. My mouth trembled.   
  
    “How could you,” I choked out, instantly embarrassed. I hate the way I sound when I’m trying my hardest to not cry, yet unable to keep my throat from catching.   
  
    I turned away to try and gather myself, but all I felt was rage.  
  
    “What in bloody hell are you talking about, love?” he questioned, a hand coming to rest on my shoulder. At that point, I completely snapped. Swiftly, I turned around and screamed at him, beginning to pound my fists into his chest.  
  
    “I heard everything!” I raged. “You! It was you! You fucking left me! Left with that horrible fucking mother in that horrible place! I–- I,”  
  
    At that moment, I couldn’t scream anymore. I just began to cry like a fucking baby and, odd as it was, Murdoc actually wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close to him. Even though I despised him for everything I had gone through, in that moment it didn’t matter so much, because he was here now, comforting me, despite it all. Despite the fact that he could’ve cared less about ever seeing me again and despite the fact that he himself had said that he was unfit to be a father, here he was doing just that, even if just this once.


	3. Natural Instincts.

        The rest of the night was a blur. I woke up in Murdoc’s shitty Winnebago once again, but he was nowhere to be found. My head was slightly swimmy, but for some strange reason, I found that I actually felt a little better after the events of the previous night. It felt as though some cold case had finally been solved and all that was left was to begin to heal.   
   
        Stretching up and popping my spine, I threw the sheets off and planted my feet on the ground. I rubbed my eyes. It stung. Then I realized I was sweating bullets. My hoodie was still on, so I threw it off and left it lying on the floor as I walked off. There was only a tank-top left underneath. I grimaced. I was never one to be comfortable with my body. Whether it was hiding my figure under bulky clothing, concealing my horribly disfigured eye, or anything of the sort, I was never really crazy about the way I was. I considered myself an ugly freak.  
  
        I figured it was safe enough here at least, where no one on the outside could see me. I mean these people weren’t exactly beauty queens after all. After peering around at the vast variety of various shit and artifacts around the mobile home, I found the door and left the thing. I surveyed the parking garage. There was the door I had followed Murdoc through the previous night and I had a vague idea of where that went. There were a few other doors as well. Walking over to one, I noticed it was covered in an array of stickers. I pursed my lips and took hold of the knob, turning it as gently as possible. I peeked inside. What a fucking pigsty. And I should know. I swear, I’ve been in dumpsters with more class than this place. These people live like – well, I would say animals, but I think even they have it together more than this lot.  
  
        “Twitch!” 2-D suddenly shouted, popping out from behind the door. I screamed and fell backward, clutching my chest.   
  
        “Jesus Christ bloke, you’re going to be the end of me!” I exhaled.  
  
        “You want to come in?” he asked politely. I glared at him. He seemed nice enough, but what a dullard. Regardless, he held out a hand to help me to my feet and I entered his room.  
  
        Even though it was a royal heap, there was actually some pretty cool stuff in there. Casio keyboards, various band posters, CD's and underwear scattered all over the place. As I observed, 2-D casually stumbled over to the bed and plopped down on his ass, watching me watching him. I groaned and shifted my glance.  
  
        “So,” I said, drawn-out. “What exactly do you do around ‘ere for fun?”  
  
        “Can I ask you somefink?” he asked suddenly, as though he had been too afraid to mention it earlier.  
  
        “Sure.”  
  
        “Is it true? Are you – Murdoc’s daughter?”  
  
        I was silent. I could only stare at him.  
  
        “How did you know about that?”  
  
        “I was wandering the halls last night,” he explained, “and I could’ve sworn I heard you shouting somefink about it. Could've been hallucinating though.”  
  
        “Yeah, it’s true. What of it?” I scowled, crossing my arms and turning my back on him. Stupid dullard.  
  
        “I didn’t mean anyfink by it!” he defended, standing and holding out his hands, while a goofy front tooth-less grin crossed his face. “I fink it’s kind of interesting. No one ever comes to Kong Studios. Except for that camera crew that one time.” 2-D stared off a few seconds, then immediately snapped back to reality. “Anyway, I like having someone new around ‘ere.”  
  
        “Really?” I questioned him softly. He nodded quickly like a moron. I couldn’t help but laugh a little under my breath.  
  
        All of a sudden, the door burst open and Murdoc came slinging into the room in nothing but his fucking underwear. So ghastly and indecent I could’ve vomited, though I refrained.  
  
         “Oiy! Face-ache! What the hell is this, eh? Trying to put the moves on my own flesh and blood!” He snatched 2-D’s collar and lunged back a fist, while 2-D only managed to cower in fear. Man, he was really scared of Murdoc.  
  
        “Aye!” I quickly interfered, shoving Murdoc away and standing in front of the dullard. Both of them seemed quite surprised. “We was just talking, you fucking moron. This log has been nothing but nice to me ever since I got here, so leave him alone!” I shouted. Murdoc blinked a few times, then sort of laughed. When he stopped, the room went painfully silent.  
  
        “Well, uh,” Murdoc muttered awkwardly. “What say we go out and talk things over?” he proposed. I scowled.  
  
        “What did you have in mind?” I indulged.  
  
        “There’s a mall not too far from ‘ere. We had an autograph signing a couple of months ago. Sound good?”  
  
        I thought a moment, then shrugged and nodded.  
  
        “Oh, can I come too, Murdoc?” 2-D pleaded. Murdoc groaned.  
   
        “Sure, whatever,” he mumbled, rolling his eyes.  
  
        “I hope you’re plannin’ on getting dressed first,” I prompted. Murdoc looked as though he had no idea what I was talking about, then suddenly grasped the concept.  
  
        “Right, right!” he shouted. “I’ll be right back.” He ran off to his Winnebago, leaving me just standing there. I rolled my eyes.  
  
        “Wanna go see if Noodle and Russel want to tag along?” 2-D asked.  
  
        “Sure.” I shrugged and followed him out of his room, across the garage, and out another door.  
  
        We walked down a long hallway lined with dirty clothes and other debris until we reached a door that looked like some kind of Japanese contraption. 2-D look to me and smiled, then tapped on the door and slid it open. “Noodle? You in ‘ere?” he called out. I heard her say something, but I couldn’t quite make out what is was. Whatever it was, 2-D entered the room and I sheepishly followed. This room was like heaven compared to the rest of the place. The walls were bright white and the floor was clean, all except for a CD or two lying about.  
  
        Just then, I stopped gawking around and realized both 2-D and Noodle were standing in front of me. I felt as though she was staring me over, but her eyes appeared to still be closed. I let my hair fall over my left eye once more, while awkwardly looking at the floor.  
  
        “Hello,” Noodle said suddenly and surprisingly in what I assumed was English. I peered at her and she was smiling. She couldn’t have been more than ten-years-old. I had to admit, she was pretty adorable, not the type that seemed like she should be hanging around these people.  
  
        “Hi,” I replied, still trying my best not to look directly at her.  
  
        “You two haven’t been properly introduced,” 2-D said. “Noodle, this is Twitch. She’s Murdoc’s daughter.” Her eyes seemed to open in amazement and her mouth dropped open. She seemed to stare me over even harder than before, but I didn’t feel like she was aiming to judge me. She seemed more so astonished than anything.  
  
        “You are – Murdoc’s daughter?” she questioned. I could barely understand her babbling, so deeply rooted in her Japanese tongue.  
  
        “That’s right,” I told her. She began to giggle.  
  
        “Twitch,” 2-D said. “Noodle here is our guitarist. She’s the best there is!” he claimed, patting the young girl on the shoulder. She smiled widely. I just stared at her.  
  
        “You will be living here now?” Noodle asked. The thought hadn’t even crossed my mind.  
  
        “Of course!” 2-D answered for me, throwing his arm over my shoulder suddenly, a stupid grin crossing his face. Still, I gave no comment; only glared in secret.  
  
        “So, what? Noodle comin’ with us or not?” I said abruptly. Noodle nodded to me. “Right then. Who’s next?”  
  
        2-D turned to leave the room, while Noodle and I followed. I didn’t really pay much attention to where we were going, as it suddenly dawned on me that I hadn’t had a fag in what seemed like forever. I patted myself down. Shit. My cigs were back in my hoodie. I growled intensely, when suddenly I bumped straight into that dullard.  
  
        “What the-” I was about to go off, when I noticed an outstretched hand offering me a fag. I stared in disbelief.  
  
        “Here.” 2-D smiled.  
  
        “Thanks,” I said, dumbfounded, taking it from him. He held out a lighter and lit it up for me.  
  
        We finally reached another room, though 2-D was more hesitant to knock on this door. It too was covered in an array of stickers.  
  
        “Russel,” 2-D called in a drawn-out manner, pecking on the door. There was silence, then suddenly there was someone fiddling with the door knob on the other side. That ghastly man opened it and stared down at us all.  
  
       “What’s up, D?” he questioned.  
  
       “We’re all taking Twitch ‘ere to the mall. I was wondering if you wanted to come wiff us?"  
  
       “I was busy with some taxidermy,” he said, “but it can wait. Sure, I’ll tag along. I’ll meet up with you guys in a sec.” He closed the door suddenly and once more we heard nothing, all of us just staring blankly at the door. Man, these people were so fucking strange. I almost wanted to just run away and forget any of this ever happened. Hell, maybe all of this was just one big dream anyway.  
  
        “He’s sort of possessed, you know?” 2-D whispered to me. I raised an eyebrow. Possessed? What the hell was that supposed to mean?  
  
        The three of us made our way back to the parking garage. It was about that time that Murdoc came busting out of his Winnebago. He was wearing some dark jeans and boots, with a grey shirt and that inverted cross necklace he never seemed to take off. I looked down at my own necklace. They were identical. I scowled.  
  
        “You lot ready to go?” Murdoc slurred, jumping in the driver’s seat of a topless camouflage jeep. 2-D took the passenger’s seat and Noodle jumped in the back, just as Russel entered the garage and did the same. Everyone looked to me.  
  
        “Come on, Pinky,” Russel said, patting the seat next to him. I didn’t think there would be enough room, but I squeezed in anyway.  
  
        “Brought this for ya,” Murdoc said quietly, throwing back my hoodie. Thank God.  
  
        “Thanks,” I said halfheartedly, slipping it back on.  
  
        Murdoc started up the jeep and took of flying like a bat out of hell. Once we were on the road, I had to grasp my cig tightly between my teeth to keep it from flying away, while at the same time inadvertently grabbing onto Russel for support. Murdoc was one crazy bastard. Never had I been so afraid for my life -- well, that’s not entirely true. Back when I lived with my mum it was a hit or miss on whether or not I thought I would survive, but that’s beside the point.  
  
        When we finally arrived at the mall, I was out of breath. I felt like I had been on a one hundred mile long roller-coaster ride. No one else seemed to have been bothered by it. In fact, Noodle seemed to have particularly enjoyed the ride herself. Everyone got out of the jeep and we all started walking towards the entrance. I was so used to keeping a low profile that I didn’t even realize I was lagging behind the others, my hands tucked into my jacket pockets and my head held low.  
  
        “You ain’t gotta hide, love,” Murdoc suddenly said. I glared at him. Maybe he was right; not that I would ever admit that to him. I tried to hold myself up straighter and follow along in the group.  
  
        Not long after we had entered the mall, a group of people were soon gathered around us. Oh, right, international music sensations here. There were girls screaming, wanting pictures and autographs and this and that. I rolled my eyes and tried to walk away from it all, to slip out through the crowd of people, but before I knew it people were throwing questions at me.  
  
        “Who the hell are you?” one person shouted.  
  
        “Why is someone like her hanging around with them?” another muttered. I growled, my fists clenching. Fucking assholes. Just when I was about to lose it, someone shouted,  
  
        “Hey! Get that girl out of the picture!”   
         
        I was prepared to strike, when out of nowhere I felt Russel lift me up to the point where I was sitting on his shoulder and being firmly held in place by his large hand.  
  
        “No way,” Murdoc said angrily, swiping his hand at the crowd. Everyone froze. I looked around. Murdoc looked positively pissed. 2-D was standing with his arms crossed and an almost dark smirk across his face. Noodle had an intense look, staring straight ahead, her usual smile diminished. I was so confused.  
  
        “This kid,” 2-D said, his voice a tad high-pitched, as he thumbed in my direction. “She’s with us.” He folded his arms back.   
  
        “Yeah,” Murdoc agreed. “All a you can just piss off!”  
  
        What the fuck? What were they all thinking? It was almost as though they were sticking up for me, but why in hell would they all do that? Risk pissing off loyal fans just so I wouldn’t get some snarky remarks thrown at me. That was unreal. These people hardly even knew me! I had been with them for less than a day. Murdoc had wanted nothing to do with me and I had barely even spoken to the other three!  
  
        As I remained over-thinking the situation, we all walked away from the crowd, pushing through them with me still being supported high up on Russel’s shoulder. Once the last of them had finally stopped trailing us, Russel let me down on my own two feet and all I could do was look at them all. Truly, in that moment, I didn’t even see them as regular people. I saw them as higher beings, almost Godly in the sense of idols. Me, just this fifteen-year-old unworthy piece of delinquent trash with these pinups. No. I couldn’t let that get to me, I couldn’t begin to think that way. I didn’t need anyone but my fucking self. That’s the way it always had been and always would be. Trust no one, that’s my motto. I had never let anyone see me as anything but a hard-ass and I wasn’t about to change that now.  
  
        “What the fuck was that all about?” I said harshly.  
  
        “What?” Murdoc questioned.  
  
        “I don’t need you fucking defending me! I can take care of myself,” I huffed.  
  
        “Look, kid, you’re with us now, whether I like it, whether you like it, or whatever the case,” Murdoc said. “Get used to it.” He smirked.  
  
        “Yeah!” 2-D chimed in. He grabbed one arm around my neck and nudged his fist into my hair, like something an older sibling would do to torment their younger insubordinate. “You’re part a the family now!”  
  
        “Fair warning,” Russel said, “no one around here is sane.” I heard Noodle laugh.  
  
        I broke free from the dullard and looked once again at everyone. My feelings were all fucked up inside. I had never really had a family before.  
  
        “Don’t worry,” Murdoc said, “you can still be a little shit, if ya want.” He laughed and elbowed me in the shoulder.  
  
       We gallivanted about the mall for a bit, then we all separated. I was walking aside Murdoc, until he decided to go into some adult video store. I wasn’t too thrilled, so I kept on my way. I passed by a lot of stores that didn’t interest me in the least, though it didn’t particularly matter since I didn’t have any fucking money. One shop in particular did manage to catch my eye. I peeked in through the window. I liked the clothes inside, but I didn’t want to go in. Always made me feel pressured to buy something, which I couldn’t do. Just then, someone walked up behind me.  
  
       “Why don’t you go in?” 2-D said, as I quickly turned around to see both him and Noodle standing there. I didn’t know what to say, but before I even had the chance, the two of them sort of just led me inside anyway.  
  
       Since I was already in, I figured, why not look around? There were a lot of nice, faded out tight jeans that I was fond of for some odd reason. Like I said before, I was never crazy about myself, so I never wore anything that was tight-fitting. Sometimes, in secret, I really wanted to, but I just couldn’t bring myself to be seen like that. There were brightly colored shorts and socks and shirts with all kinds of crazy designs on them. I wished I could be a person confident enough to wear whatever I wanted and not be afraid, like these guys. The stuff they wore seemed like it would get someone’s ass kicked in a heartbeat, but they never seemed to care, nor did anyone else.  
  
       “You like this stuff?” Noodle asked, suddenly at my side. I didn’t make eye contact and hesitated with my response.  
  
       “Sort of,” I replied. "Not really my style."  
  
       “Why don’t you get yourself somefink?” 2-D asked, coming up to us. What was I supposed to say?  
  
       “I just – don’t want to.”  
  
       “Do you have any cash on you?” 2-D questioned. Goddammit. I shook my head shamefully. “Here, we’ll help you out.”  
  
       “NO.” I objected sternly.  
  
       “Come on! You’re staying with us now, aren’t you? You can’t wear the same clothes from now on.” 2-D argued.   
  
       “Although,” Noodle interjected, “I have seen Murdoc wear the same thing for months at a time.”  
  
       “That doesn’t surprise me.” I said, rolling my eyes.  
  
       “Just let us help you out. I wouldn’t count on Murdoc to help you shop. We’re both girls! I can help you look for cute clothes!” Noodle smiled. Cute? Did I look fucking cute? I didn’t want to hurt her feelings, so I just didn’t say anything. I guess she took that as a thumbs up.  
  
       For the next hour or so, Noodle dragged me all over the mall, tossing things she said would look good on me into my arms. I was surprised at the things she picked out. I actually liked the majority of them.  
  
       “See, this won’t be too tight on you, but it still looks cute!” she told me once, as I stood in a dressing room wearing a jersey shirt with a 23 on the front and back. I looked at her and she was still smiling thoughtfully at me. I got the feeling she understood how I felt. To be so young, she was so wise. Maybe I just really didn’t have much social experience.  
  
       We ended up leaving the mall with a hefty supply of clothing. Murdoc looked at the bags in my hands, confused, but not bothering to comment. Back at the studio, I was beginning to wonder if I was actually planning on staying in this shit-hole, where exactly it was I was supposed to stay? Surely not in Murdoc’s shitty Winnebago.  
  
       “Oi, Murdoc,” I said to him, as the five of us were walking down a hallway. “Where exactly am I supposed to – you know – stay?” For some odd reason, as I spoke the words out loud, I felt as though it was a question I shouldn’t be asking. I had never imposed on anyone and now it felt like that was exactly what I was doing, despite 2-D and Noodle having been so reassuring earlier. And that stunt they had pulled at the mall in front of those fans made it seem as though they had accepted me. Was it all because I was Murdoc’s daughter? To be honest, they didn’t seem all too fond of Murdoc anyway and I couldn’t blame them. He was a pretty big asshole.  
  
       Murdoc stared at me a moment as if the question had thrown him off.  
  
       “I mean, unless you would rather me leave,” I said quickly, in a tone indicating that I didn't care one way or the other.  
  
       “Of course not, love!” Murdoc said suddenly, slamming a hand on my back. I flinched. “Like I said, you’re with us now. I meant it. You’re my flesh and blood and you’re not going anywhere ‘til I teach you to be a royal success, like your old man.”  
  
       “More like a royal pain in the ass,” Russel laughed to 2-D.  
  
       “Hey! I heard that!” Murdoc glared to the side, then back at me. “Actually, I have this extra room I don’t really use very often anymore. You’re free to have that one. I can stay in the old Winnebago!”  
  
       He led me to the room, which happened to be fairly huge and rather nice, considering who’d been staying in it. The carpet was red and there were Nazi memorabilia lying all over the bloody place, along with scattered clothes and DVD’s. The bed was round, draped in purple sheets and hidden behind two fold-out walls that blocked it off from the rest of the room for some reason. Next to the bed stood a gargoyle statue, an inverted cross on the nightstand, and some torn papers, as well as a closet. Outside the frames that separated the bed from the room, to the right there was a stereo system, sets of speakers on the walls near the ceiling, a collection of vinyl records, and a standing shower on the opposite side. There was a door to the right that wasn’t part of the room and seemed to lead somewhere else entirely.  
  
       To be completely honest, it was probably the nicest place I had ever stayed.  
  
       “Yeah, this room leads into one of the sound studios, so you might hear some noise from time-to-time,” Murdoc explained, “but, I think you can manage, eh, love?”   
   
       I nodded to him, still observing the room itself.   
  
       “You can put whatever you want in here, I don’t really care. It’s yours now.”   
  
       I peered up at him as he said this, shocked at what I heard. “It’s your now”. Those words were something I had never heard before in my entire life. My mouth began to tremble, as though I was about to cry. Shit. I just kept looking at Murdoc and he actually smiled at me, as if I were a reflection of a younger, more tolerable Murdoc.  
  
       “You really shouldn’t hide your face, love,” he told me, brushing the hair out of my eye. “You’re a Niccals. Own it.”  
  
       I didn’t know what to do, so I lunged at him and hugged him tightly. My fucking piece of shit father. I was so glad I had finally met him.


End file.
